Spring latches



June 30, 1964 H. G. COULSON 3,139,297

SPRING LATCHES 20 Filed April 4. 1960 INVENTOR. H. G- C ouLsorv ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,139,297 SPRING LATCHES Harry Glen Coulson, 1107 Curtis St., Albany, Calif. Filed Apr. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 19,704 (Iiaims. (Cl. 292-76) The invention relates to a spring latch which is designed to retain a closure member in operative relation to an opening for its release solely by a transverse push or pull on the member, and this application comprises a continuation in part of my copending application Ser. No. 478,410 filed December 29, 1954 and now Patent No. 2,931,675.

A general object is to provide a spring latch of the present type having an assembly which is dependable in action, is operative without any mutual binding of its elements, and may not readily get out of order.

Another object is to provide a closure-latching assembly which engages a closure in an improved anti-rattling manner.

A further object is to provide a spring latch assembly which is readily usable with various closures such as doors and gates and container lids, etc. for releasably retaining the closures in either open or closed positions.

An added object is to provide a positive means for maintaining the utility of a latch having an arched helical spring as its displaceable detent member.

A more specific object is to provide spring latches of the present type having minimum numbers of structural elements.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing will be set forth or be apparent in the following description of typical embodiments thereof, and in the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation showing one embodiment of the latch as cooperative between a door and a wall opening which receives the door, the view being taken from in back of the door with a portion of the latch structure broken away.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken from the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a partly sectional view of the latch with its sectional portion taken from the line 33 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 generally indicates, at a reduced scale, a typical installation of the present latch in association with a closed door disposed in a wall opening, with the View taken from in front of the door.

FIGURE 5 is a view corresponding to that of FIGURE 1, and disclosing an installation of a different form of a latch assembly of the present type on the back of a door.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at the line 66 in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the broken line 77 in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 8 is a face view of a fiat blank which is arranged for its shaping as the mounting means for the detent element of the latch of FIGURES 5 to 7 inclusive.

A typical installation of one embodiment of the present spring latches of my invention is disclosed in FIGURES 1 to 4 inclusive in association with a door D hinged at one side edge thereof for its swinging between its closed and open relations to a doorway opening 0 defined in a wall W having the thickness of the door; as particularly indicated in FIGURE 4, hinges H connect the aforesaid side edge portion of the door to the wall W at the corresponding opening edge. At its inner side, the wall W mounts a stop molding S extending behind the opening sides and top for engaging the inner door side to limit "ice the closing movement of the door in the opening. A C- shaped door pull handle P is mounted on the door at its outer side and adjacent the upright free door edge D opposite the hinges, and near the point of installation of the door-carried element of the present latch assemblies; the handle P may be used to pull the door open from its outer side, or the door may be pushed open from its inner side.

FIGURES l to 4 inclusive disclose an embodiment of the latch of my invention in which a spring detent unit 15 mounted on a door D is cooperative with a catch plate 16 mounted on a wall W. The spring detent element 17 of the unit 15 solely comprises an open helical spring which is directly mounted in longitudinally compressed and laterally bowed condition on a base or frame assembly comprising a detent-mounting member 19 fixedly carried by a member 18' attached to the door D. As particularly shown, a fiat part 18' of the base member 18 is provided with open return bends 20 extending along corresponding opposite end portions thereof and providing mutually opposed grooves 20' which are arranged to slidably receive upper and lower end portions of a flat part 19 of the detent-carrying base member 19 for connecting the members against their transverse separation, the connected said members being arranged for their fixing together as a detent-mounting base 1819 and to a mounting door D by means of attaching screws 21 engaged in registering openings provided through their mutually opposed parts 18 and 19. As is hereinafter brought out, the remaining part 18" of the member 18 serves as a guide for the spring and a guard for the opposed door face.

The portion of the present element nearest the door edge portion mounting the latch is formed to provide, transversely opposite the flat opposed coterminous and coplanar part 18" of the mounted member 18, an integral portion 19" extending transversely from the plane of the part 19 of the element 19 and providing a rectangular recess 23 for housing a portion of the spring 17, with said recess defined by and between end walls 24 and a side wall 25 and an outer wall 26 transversely spaced from the plane of the flat portion 18" of the base member 18 in parallel relation thereto. As shown, the end and side walls 24 and 25 defining the recess 23 are integral with and perpendicular to the plane of the fiat portion 19' of the member 19 and extend from the ends of the side wall 25 in perpendicular relation thereto, while the outer wall 26 integrally connects the outer edges of the rectangular ends walls 24 and the side wall 25. It will be noted that when the base members 18 and 19 are mounted on a door in the illustrated manner, one open side of the recess 23 defined by the walls 24 and 25 and 26 provided by the portion 19 of the member 19 is closed by the opposed part 18" of the member 18, while the remaining recess side is open for the disclosed lateral extension of the outwardly arched side of the detent spring 17 therefrom for its cooperative engagement with a latch plate.

Relatively narrow ears 27 extend integrally from intermediate points of the free edges of the walls 24 defining the recess ends, and said ears are retainedly looped about corresponding outer points of the end turns 17' of the spring 17 which extends between the walls 24 in a compressed and outwardly bowed condition which is assured by reasons of the connection of opposite points of said end turns by hook ends 28 of a tension link element 28, said link being effectively shorter than the effective spacing of the spring-engaging ears 27 for concavedly bowing the spring side thereat while holding the end turns 17' angularly away from the recess walls 24 and 25 and permitting a compressive balance along the spring. Preferably, and as shown, the outer recess wall 26 extends along and closely adjacent the opposed side portion of the arched spring 17 for cooperation with the part 18 of the member 18 for preventing an appreciable outward or inward distortion of the bowed spring whereby said parts of the spring-support assembly 18-l9 are cooperative as a spring-guiding means transversely of its plane during engaging or disengaging actions of the latch.

The catch plate 16 comprises a strip of metal, or other suitable material which is flat except for a longitudinal cylindrically rolled striking-edge 16' thereof, and is arranged for its mounting on the door-frame edge defining the wall opening to present its striking edge portion 16' in the path of movement of the normally extended portion of the door-mounted detent element 17 to have its fiat portion 16 fixed by screws 29 against the bottom of a cross-groove or mortise G extending obliquely outwardly from the inner corner of the frame edge thereat. The rolled edge 16' of the plate element 16 extends opposite the inner face of the wall whereby the detent-spring element 17 must be intermediately engaged and displaced toward the chord of its are for its functioning in the general manner of a reciprocable spring detent to permit its deflection circumferentially around the extending rolled striker-edge portion 16' of the catch plate 16, the wall-mounted stop mold S being discontinued at the plate for a distance which permits the door-mounted detent assembly 15 to cooperatively engage the catch plate 15.

Noting that FIGURE 2 brings out the direct engagement of the detent spring 17 with the catch plate 16 when the door is in fully closed position, it will be understood that an opening pulling or pushing of the door with respect to the catch plate 16 is arranged to cause a progressively increasing inward deflection of the spring 17 for its passing over the striker edge 16' of the plate 16 and along the opposed plate face in" to free the door for its full opening. When the door'is being closed, the engaged spring portion slides laterally thereof over the cylindrically-rounded striker-edge 1d of the plate 16 with a maximum displacement thereof after having moved across the obliquely disposed flat plate portion 16" with an increasing deflection of the detent assembly 17 including it to permit the disposal of the door in its fully closed position against the stop S while the spring is still more-or-less deflected whereby to resiliently hold the door closed against the stop and so prevent a rattling of the door.

FIGURES 5 to 7 inclusive disclose a latch embodiment of my invention in which a spring detent unit 35 is cooperative with a catch plate 36 corresponding to, but of slightly different form than, the catch plate 16 of the embodiment of FIGURES l to 3. The spring detent element 37 of the present embodiment comprises an open helical spring which is directly mounted in longitudinally compressed and laterally bowed condition on a one-piece support member 35 having a fiat portion 49 arranged for its direct fiat engagement with and directly to a mounting door D by means of screws 41 engaged therethrough. The present base or mounting arrangement for the detent spring 37 is, however, generally simpler than that of the previously described embodiment in that it is formable from an originally flat blank 39-B having the general outline shown in FIGURE 8 to provide all of the operative features of the base assembly 13-19 in a simplified structure in which separate elements corresponding to the plate 18 and the link 28 of the first embodiment are lacking.

in the present detent unit 35, the one-piece base member 39 provides complementarily opposed upstanding springcarrying like ear portions 42 extending from opposite upper and lower edges of the flat base portion 40. As shown, the support ears 42 have return-bend parts 43 which extend integrally from the base portion 40, have a width at their outer ends no less than that of the flat end turns 37 of the spring element 37, and have tapered tongues 44 of less width at their bases than said turn 1 ends extending intermediately therefrom to provide shoulders 45 at the bases of the tongues, said tongues being wedgedly engageable within the spring end turns 37 for a centered seating of said turns against the shoulders 45. The spring seats jointly provided by the shoulders 45 of the ears 42 are mutually coplanar and the lines thereof are angularly related and coplanar in lines intersecting inwardly of and making like angles with the side edge of the base portion which is toward the door edge D. in this manner, a positive means is provided for mounting the compressed spring element 37 on the element 39 with the spring arched in a plane parallel to the plane of the portion 4th of the base member 39 and having the arch 7 side of the biased spring extending toward said door edge.

Understanding that the relatively fixed angular relation of the shoulders of the spring-supportingears 42 is operative to alone shape the mounted detent spring 37 to provide the desired angularity of the longitudinal spring axis at the seats provided by the shoulders 45 and engaged by the end turns 37 of the spring, the base member 39 also provides an arrn member 46 having a terminal portion disposed opposite the outer side of the mounted spring for functioning, in cooperation with the opposed fiat portion 4a of the mounting member 39, as the outer guide wall 26 of the recess-defining portion 23 of the element 19 of the first embodiment. As is particularly illustrated, the arm 4-6 is provided by a relatively narrow tongue which is arched upwardly from an intermediate attachment point of the fiat portion 40 of the base member 3% to extend in an appropriately spaced relation to the opposed intermediate spring portion for its cooperation with the opposed'portion 40 of the member 39 to serve as a guide means to prevent an undue inward or outward transverse distortion of the spring 37 from the plane of its normal arch by reason of the tangential engagement of the working edge of the catch plate 36 against it during a closing or opening of the door, while permitting the required inward deflection of the spring in the plane of its said arch during its engagement with the striker edge of the catch plate 36. 7 By reference to the FIGURE 8 illustration of the blank 3943 fromwhich a present member 39 may be shaped, it will be noted that said blank provides complementary portions 32-13 for forming to provide the ear portions 42 having the return-bend parts 43 and the tongue parts 44 extending from opposite side edges of the flat and generally central mounting portion 40 of the shaped base member 39. A portion id-B of the blank 39-B is shapeable to provide the arm 46 which has its inner portion defined in part between slots 46 extending into said flat blank portion from the edge as of the fiat part it? thereof which is disposed nearest the free side edge of the door on which the formed member 39 mounts the spring detent 37. It will be understood, however, that the relatively rigid spring-carrying member 39 might comprise a molded article of suitable material.

it will now be noted that the present one-piece catch plate 36 comprises aunitary element of suitable material of uniform thickness having flat and angularly related rectangular mounting and striker portions 36' and 36" respectively, and is arranged for the mounting, as by screws ,48, of its larger rectangular portion 36 flat against the wall face While its striking-edge portion 36" is directed obliquely outwardly from its mounting portion 36 and from the edge of the doorway opening thereat. For its use with the present catch plate 36, the detent unit 35 is so positioned on the outer face of the carrying door that, while disengaged from the free, and more-or-less cylindrically rounded, working edge of the catch plate portion 36", the door may be swung freely toward and from its position of engagement with said working edge, whereby the opposed edge of the door opening may be perpendicular to the outerwall face, as is disclosed in FIGURE 6.

In general reference to the detent unit 15 of FIGURES 1 to 3 inclusive, it is noted that the same is provided as a unitary assembly comprising the mounting element 18, the detent-carrying element 19, the detent spring 17 and the link element 28 as comprising separately formed elements of the assembly. On the other hand, the embodiment of the detent unit 35 of FIGURES 5 to 8 inclusive solely comprises the one-piece spring-mounting base element 39 and the spring element 37, whereby the latter embodiment of the spring latch of my invention is less expensive to produce than is the first embodiment. Noting, however, that the outer wall 26 of the part 23 of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 to 3 generally conceals a major portion of the detent spring 17 the use of this embodiment might be preferred from an appearance standpoint as compared with the second embodiment in which the spring latch is substantially fully exposed behind the relatively narrow stop and guide arm 46 of the second embodiment.

While the present latch structures are particularly shown as associated with a door which is arranged for its closing disposal within a doorway opening in a wall having the same thickness as the door, it will be understood that these latches are usable for securing closures at doorways provided in relatively thicker walls having their openings defined between jambs carrying stops having usual casing provided at one or both of the opposite edges thereof. It will also be understood that the present latch structures are adapted for their installation and use with doors which close against a wall face at a doorway opening in a wall. Furthermore, the present detent units and 35 are also obviously adapted for their interchangeable use with the different catch plates 16 and 36 when the same are disposed in position for cooperative engagement with the utilized detent unit. In further reference to possible operative mountings of the disclosed latch assembly parts, it will also be understood that the present detent and catch plate elements may, if desired, be respectively mounted in mutually cooperative relation to wall and door members in lieu of their illustrated mounting on a door and wall members respectively.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the present spring latches will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains. While I have shown and described latch structures which I now consider to comprise preferred embodiments of my invention, I desire to have it understood that the showing is primarily illustrative, and that such changes and developments may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a spring latch adapted to releasably secure a swinging member and a fixed member in mutually latched relation, a latch plate for mounting on a first said member, a detent element comprising a laterally flexible helical spring, a supporting base having a portion providing a planar face for attached engagement with a complementary mounting face of the other said member, means mounting said detent spring on said base in longitudinally compressed and laterally bowed condition with the plane of its provided arch originally in substantially parallel relation to said mounting face of the base, means mounting said base on the second said member with said faces of the base and member mutually engaged and with the arch of the spring extending for cooperative lateral contact with the latch plate on the first member for yielding operative arch-reducing deformations of the spring by and with respect to the engaged latch plate, and an extending portion of the mounted base which is constantly cooperative with the latch-engaging portion of the detent spring to confine the deformation of the spring detent element resulting from its cooperative engagement by the latch plate between it and the opposed face of the planar base portion to substantially the original plane of its arch.

2. The combination of claim 1 whereof the means mounting the detent spring on the base comprises fixedly spaced ears connecting corresponding points of the end loops of the compressed spring at the outer side of its arch and a tension link connecting the corresponding inner points of the spring ends at the inner side of its arch, with said link effectively shorter than the spacing of said spring-mounting ears to provide the laterally bowed condition of the spring.

3. The combination of claim 1 whereof the means mounting the detent spring on the base comprises fixedly spaced and angularly related ears extending into the end loops of the compressed spring in coaxial and seated engagement therewith to provide the laterally bowed condition of the spring.

4. In a spring latch adapted to releasably secure a swinging member to a fixed member in mutually latched relation, a detent-carrying base including a planar portion adapted for its fixed mounting on and against a said memher, a spring detent mounted on said base and comprising a longitudinally compressed and laterally arched helical spring which is constantly free between its ends and has its extremities engaged by the base in mutually fixed spaced relation, a rigid catch plate providing a striker edge for transverse lateral action against said spring solely intermediately thereof at the outer side of its arch for deforming the engaged spring toward the chord of said spring arch, means mounting the spring and catch plate on said different swinging and fixed members in such mutual relation that the retained engagement of the swinging and fixed members is yieldingly resisted by the mutual contact of the spring and catch plate members to deform the arched spring structure in its plane for a relative swinging of the swinging and fixed members to and from their mutually retained relation, and a rigid extension of the detent-carrying base freely receiving at least the strikerengaging portion of the detent spring between it and said planar portion of the base for limiting deformations of the spring substantially to the plane thereof.

5. In a spring latch adapted to releasably secure a swinging member to a fixed member in mutually latched relation, a latch plate for mounting on one said member, a carrier unit for mounting on the other member and comprising a planar attaching base portion having angularly related spaced and opposed end portions extending integrally and transversely from it, a detent member comprising a helical spring having its ends arranged for their retained and rigid seating against said ears, means attaching the ends of said detent spring to said ears with said spring in longitudinally compressed and laterally bowed condition to have an intermediate portion of its arch extending laterally beyond the member-mounted base portions and arranged for the direct lateral engagement and cooperation of an intermediate part of the spring with the latch plate on the other member for a yielding operative deformation of the detent in its plane by and with respect to the operating latch plate, and an extension of said carrier base portion disposed opposite the central part of the installed detent spring and cooperative therewith and with the attaching base portion to confine the deformation of the spring resulting from its engagement by the latch plate substantially to the original plane of its arch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 977,137 Sexton Nov. 29, 1910 2,931,675 Coulson Apr. 5, 1960 2,957,719 Hafstad Oct. 25, 1960 2,957,721 Sklaw et al. Oct. 25, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 700,967 Great Britain Dec. 16, 1953 

1. IN A SPRING LATCH ADAPTED TO RELEASABLY SECURE A SWINGING MEMBER AND A FIXED MEMBER IN MUTUALLY LATCHED RELATION, A LATCH PLATE FOR MOUNTING ON A FIRST SAID MEMBER, A DETENT ELEMENT COMPRISING A LATERALLY FLEXIBLE HELICAL SPRING, A SUPPORTING BASE HAVING A PORTION PROVIDING A PLANAR FACE FOR ATTACHED ENGAGEMENT WITH A COMPLEMENTARY MOUNTING FACE OF THE OTHER SAID MEMBER, MEANS MOUNTING SAID DETENT SPRING ON SAID BASE IN LONGITUDINALLY COMPRESSED AND LATERALLY BOWED CONDITION WITH THE PLANE OF ITS PROVIDED ARCH ORIGINALLY IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID MOUNTING FACE OF THE BASE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID BASE ON THE SECOND SAID MEMBER WITH SAID FACES OF THE BASE AND MEMBER MUTUALLY ENGAGED AND WITH THE ARCH OF THE SPRING EXTENDING FOR COOPERATIVE LATERAL CONTACT WITH THE LATCH PLATE ON THE FIRST MEMBER FOR YIELDING OPERATIVE ARCH-REDUCING DEFORMATIONS OF THE SPRING BY AND WITH RESPECT TO THE ENGAGED LATCH PLATE, AND AN EXTENDING PORTION OF THE MOUNTED BASE WHICH IS CONSTANTLY COOPERATIVE WITH THE LATCH-ENGAGING PORTION OF THE DETENT SPRING TO CONFINE THE DEFORMATION OF THE SPRING DETENT ELEMENT RESULTING FROM ITS COOPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT BY THE LATCH PLATE BETWEEN IT AND THE OPPOSED FACE OF THE PLANAR BASE PORTION TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE ORIGINAL PLANE OF ITS ARCH. 